MADISON (WKOW) — A Dane County official has signed the $853 million budget, though he did exercise two partial vetoes.
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said the budget prioritizes basic needs, housing, mental health, restorative justice and conversation initiatives.
“The 2023 Dane County budget builds upon the work we’ve done over the past decade and offers a roadmap to further improve the care and well-being of our most vulnerable, accelerate efforts to combat climate change, advance new reforms to address disparities, and protect our incredibly valuable land and water resources,” Parisi said in a statement.
Parisi highlights $7.5 million in funds meant to eliminate food insecurity within low income or underserved communities. He also highlights over $484,000 in funds meant to increase staff at the Behavior Resource Center. He said the funds will enhance response times and improve customer service standards.
Parisi explains in a memo to the Dane County Board that both of his partial vetoes are related to provisions or language regarding the county's jail consolidation project.
One veto was toward a provision that would stop design work for the project, which Parisi said is almost complete. The other veto relates to an amendment Parisi said was presented as "rationale for Supervisors to delete case manager positions from the budget in favor of social workers."
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